These recordings came about because the directors of Club Francais du Livre
decided to go into the record business. Their plan was to record the top
French musicians of the time, each session having an American visiting guest
star. One suspects that the documentation of each session was sketchy, for
instance there is an unlisted Bass player on the Buck Clayton set and there
are other similar anomalies. This in no way detracts from the music, the
Buck Clayton session is a classic of the great and often underrated Mainstream
Trumpet Man. Michelle de Villiers acquits himself very well on both Tenor
and Baritone and the rhythm section is clean and swinging. Andre Persiany
is a class act on keyboards and it sounds like a session where everyone was
enjoying themselves. 'Gift to the Club' turns out to be 'I've found a new
baby', hardly a translation error!

On session 2 Peanuts Holland is the visiting star, he came to Paris in 1946
with Don Redman and stayed on in Europe, at the time of recording he was
a Scandinavian resident. Flying Home has solos for everyone with Geo Daly
doing the Lionel Hampton riffs. He also solos for most of That's My Desire.
Peanuts Holland demonstrates his trumpet skills on S'Wonderful, Guy Lafitte
is also well to the fore here with overtones of Coleman Hawkins. Blue Feeling
is a lesser known Ellington composition, but it is easy to recognise the
'Dukal' style. Many musicians claim that Ellington tunes play themselves
and I must confess his compositions are great favourites of mine. Holland
is heard in a more restrained but effective mode in this one.

For those who don't know of him Charlie Singleton played with Lou Donaldson
in New York, he came to Paris to play in Bill Coleman's Band. He has the
sound you would expect from a Kansas City tenor man, big and round! There
seems to be something odd about 'These Foolish Things' either Charlie Singleton
changes his sound in the middle of this piece or there were two saxophone
players!

Another very enjoyable release from the excellent value Jazz in Paris series
from a time when jazz was sophisticated but not over complicated.